This is my first Fit Friday, which is my way of offering an update of where I'm at in my efforts to have a healthier life, as well as some little advice I can offer from my previous experiences. Today I'm offering the best advice I can give as a start. You have to keep track. You have to track what you eat, how much you drink, how much you exercise and how much you weigh. It sounds easy, but I've found it to be one of the hardest things I have learned to do. Kim from The Fit Club has already written a post on a phone application she uses to help her. You can read about it here. I use a website and mobile app called Sparkpeople. Back in November, I wrote a post about Sparkpeople. Please check it out here - there are 10 good reasons why you should try Sparkpeople.
Good luck - be well!
cindy
Showing posts with label Sparkpeople. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sparkpeople. Show all posts
Friday, January 13, 2012
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Adventures in Weight Stabilization
O.K., I had to change the name or I would end up with Part 125 of "New Adventures". My HcG course (Phase 2) is over and I'm happy to say I lost 34 pounds! I'm not done losing weight, but now I have to go through 6 weeks of "stabilization." That involves staying within 2 pounds of my current weight (over or under) for the next 6 weeks. This is where the real challenge begins.
The important part of stabilization is learning the basic formula for losing or maintaining weight (especially for those of us who struggle with the up and down parts). That formula is simple - balance the number of calories consumed with the number of calories burned through exercise. Simple enough, right? Yeah, sure. If that were the case, I would be a very rich woman because I could solve the biggest loser of a problem with a simple formula. But it is just that simple. Now I need to learn it.
The rules of this stage are no starches or sugar, keeping the fat intake relatively low (about 22 grams per day) and watching the glycemic values of certain fruits so I can stay away from things like bananas, grapes, raisins and a few others. I need to keep the water intake up too. I have to figure out how many calories I want to eat each day, in large part based on how much exercise I'm committed to doing. I'm not a big exercise gal.
I'm excited and intimidated at the same time, but I'm also loving the fact that I'm in different clothes now and looking better. Keep up the positive thoughts and prayers - it's going good so far!
cindy
The important part of stabilization is learning the basic formula for losing or maintaining weight (especially for those of us who struggle with the up and down parts). That formula is simple - balance the number of calories consumed with the number of calories burned through exercise. Simple enough, right? Yeah, sure. If that were the case, I would be a very rich woman because I could solve the biggest loser of a problem with a simple formula. But it is just that simple. Now I need to learn it.
The rules of this stage are no starches or sugar, keeping the fat intake relatively low (about 22 grams per day) and watching the glycemic values of certain fruits so I can stay away from things like bananas, grapes, raisins and a few others. I need to keep the water intake up too. I have to figure out how many calories I want to eat each day, in large part based on how much exercise I'm committed to doing. I'm not a big exercise gal.
I'm excited and intimidated at the same time, but I'm also loving the fact that I'm in different clothes now and looking better. Keep up the positive thoughts and prayers - it's going good so far!
cindy
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Loving Me Some Sparkpeople!
`Have you checked out Sparkpeople?? This has to be one of the best weight loss sites on the web. There's so much to say about it but I'll give you ten of the best reasons:
1. It is completely FREE. No, really, it is completely free. It costs nothing to sign up and you never pay a thing.
2. It is NOT a diet site. It does not encourage you to pick a "diet," but one is available if you need it. Mostly it is a support site with great tools to help you.
3. You can track your weight, food and fitness levels, as well as energy, measurements, goals or anything else.
4. There is a huge community of people, both local and groups with common interests where you can participate for advice, support or ideas. There are message boards, blog opportunities and a place where you can create your own page.
5. Sparkpeople has workout plans, exercise demonstrations, reports of your activities and suggestions for improving your calorie to exercise balance.
6. There are great articles on health, fitness, recipes, nutrition, motivation and lots more.
7. You can motivate yourself with streaks, challenges, group activities, spark mail and emails (only if you want them) and stages of weight loss/improved fitness/increased wellness and health.
8. There is a mobile application to track food, fitness, weight, water consumed and give you reports about the same (oh yeah, it's free too)
9. The site was started by a guy who approaches weight loss, increased fitness, wellness and lifestyle with a practical and easy methodology (balance calories consumed with the amount of exercise done)
10. Did I mention it's FREE??
Free Online Diet Plan at SparkPeople.com
I can't say enough about this website. If you are interested in a place where you can get practical advice, support, a place to track your progress and a never ending supply of information, Sparkpeople is like no other place on the web. By the way, I was not compensated (or even asked) to recommend Sparkpeople. I just believe in it.
cindy
1. It is completely FREE. No, really, it is completely free. It costs nothing to sign up and you never pay a thing.
2. It is NOT a diet site. It does not encourage you to pick a "diet," but one is available if you need it. Mostly it is a support site with great tools to help you.
3. You can track your weight, food and fitness levels, as well as energy, measurements, goals or anything else.
4. There is a huge community of people, both local and groups with common interests where you can participate for advice, support or ideas. There are message boards, blog opportunities and a place where you can create your own page.
5. Sparkpeople has workout plans, exercise demonstrations, reports of your activities and suggestions for improving your calorie to exercise balance.
6. There are great articles on health, fitness, recipes, nutrition, motivation and lots more.
7. You can motivate yourself with streaks, challenges, group activities, spark mail and emails (only if you want them) and stages of weight loss/improved fitness/increased wellness and health.
8. There is a mobile application to track food, fitness, weight, water consumed and give you reports about the same (oh yeah, it's free too)
9. The site was started by a guy who approaches weight loss, increased fitness, wellness and lifestyle with a practical and easy methodology (balance calories consumed with the amount of exercise done)
10. Did I mention it's FREE??
Free Online Diet Plan at SparkPeople.com
I can't say enough about this website. If you are interested in a place where you can get practical advice, support, a place to track your progress and a never ending supply of information, Sparkpeople is like no other place on the web. By the way, I was not compensated (or even asked) to recommend Sparkpeople. I just believe in it.
cindy
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